Denny Hamlin recorded his best finish of the early 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota crossed the line in fifth place in the Straight Talk Wireless 500.
The result marked his first top-five finish through the opening four races of the season. Hamlin ran inside the top group for much of the 312-lap event and collected valuable stage points along the way.
Still, when the race ended, the veteran driver made it clear that the finish did not reflect a race-winning car. Hamlin said his team showed steady speed, but they did not have the pace needed to match the leaders who controlled the race in the closing laps.
Denny Hamlin Says His Car Lacked the Speed to Challenge the Leaders
After the race, Denny Hamlin gave a direct explanation of how the day unfolded for the No. 11 team.
“Not enough. That’s a good overall summary. We just didn’t have the ‘it’ that we needed. I felt like I was always just a little behind the 20 and the 12. I thought we were kind of the next tier of cars, but we didn’t have anything more than that.”
Hamlin referred to Christopher Bell in the No. 20 Toyota and Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Ford. Both drivers spent much of the afternoon running near the front of the field.
Blaney made his move late and controlled the closing laps. He passed Ty Gibbs with nine laps remaining and secured his first victory of the 2026 season. Blaney led 28 laps and finished 0.399 seconds ahead of Bell. Kyle Larson finished third. Gibbs took fourth place just ahead of Hamlin.
Hamlin remained competitive through the first two stages of the race. He finished fifth in Stage 1 and followed that with a second-place finish in Stage 2 behind Bell.
Pit Road Issues Affected Track Position During the Race
Hamlin said the team also faced problems on pit road that limited their ability to stay near the front.
“We had some issues when we did have track position. We didn’t have a great day on pit road. They had a great day when we were kind of in the middle of the pack. But those are the ebbs and flows. Everyone is trying to get reps and rhythm for the season. We’ve just got to work on it and get a little better for sure.”
Even with those setbacks, Hamlin said the car performed close to what the team expected entering the race weekend.
“This is exactly what I thought we were. I thought we probably improved our car about three to four spots overnight. But we were going to need a big chunk overnight to be a race-winning car, and we just didn’t have enough tools in the toolbox to adjust that much.”
The stage results helped the No. 11 team collect important points during the event.
Tire Wear and Cautions Played a Role in the Race
The race featured several cautions throughout the afternoon. Many incidents came as drivers pushed their tires hard on Phoenix Raceway’s one-mile oval.
Hamlin said tire wear and tire failures contributed to the interruptions during the race.
“It looked like wrecks and debris. There was a lot of tire damage and tire issues with guys pushing the limits. Goodyear brought another tire here that’s great. It really allows the driver and the team to control their destiny. It’s always going to be a battle of how hard you can push it.”
Despite the frequent restarts, Hamlin said the overall racing remained strong.
“I thought the racing was great. Overall, there were just a lot of cautions because of restarts and guys getting into each other. That’s just part of it.”
The fifth-place finish helped Hamlin gain ground in the standings. He now sits 12th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings after four races in the 2026 season.
Denny Hamlin Explains Why His Team Fell Short of Race-Winning Pace at Phoenix Raceway